Perfect Kiss
by LuxKen27
Summary: Contest entry for LJ community inuyashaxkagome's "Missing Moments" Celebration. Kagome ponders the moment of her first kiss, and wonders just how perfect it could be.


Title: Perfect Kiss

Author: LuxKen27

Universe: Canon (Chapter 557)

Genre: Romance

Rating: T

Warnings: None

Word Length: 2385

Summary: Kagome ponders the moment of her first kiss, and wonders just how perfect it could be.

_Disclaimer: The _Inuyasha_ concept, storyline, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media_

.xxxxx.

A girl's first kiss is a big milestone. It's a dream from childhood, something embroidered and embellished with scenes from fairy tales and folk stories. Princes and heroes first claim the stage, only to find their images slowly morphed and replaced by ordinary people. Ten, or twelve, or fourteen years may pass before the big moment presents itself. Rarely is it as perfect as one secretly hopes; even less probable is it being manifested from the heart's true desire.

Kagome Higurashi had lived for fifteen years before her first kiss, and hers was one of those souls cursed with an overbearing sense of romance. Her thoughts and dreams had grown into detailed fantasies, complete with slow-motion running into one another's arms, a long, shared glance that spoke volumes of love and shy promise, time enough to note and memorize appearance and scent. She was certain she'd remember the moment for the rest of her life, carrying it in a small compartment of her memory and her heart to treasure.

Fate, however, often has other ideas.

She was on the verge of giving up all hope. It had taken a lot to break her inherently optimistic spirit, but repeated, ominous promises of spending the rest of eternity in a dark void had driven her to the brink. As if the thought of spending the rest of her life separated from any and every one she'd ever loved wasn't enough, she was also cognizant of the fact that none of them knew _where_ she was. She'd been swallowed by the meidou almost as soon as she'd pierced the Shikon no Tama, and there was no direct path out of this hell.

She had one chance. She could make a wish on the jewel, and she would be freed from this cold, dark void.

_If I wish to return home, I'll never see Inuyasha and the others again,_ she thought, tears seeping from the corners of her eyes. _If I wish to go back to the Feudal Era, I'll never see my family again. Who am I willing to give up?_

"Will you not choose?"

The voice of the jewel seemed to penetrate her mind. Doing this, taunting her from the inside, was driving her mad with anxiety and fear.

"You must make a wish. It is your destiny. Your fate is forever tied to this Shikon no Tama."

_Forever tied to this jewel,_ she mused morosely. _My life seems less my own and more a copy of Kikyo's._ She sighed. _Kikyo wanted to see Inuyasha one last time, and look how that worked out for her. Naraku's true desire was to possess Kikyo, and the jewel denied his claim. Where is the certainty that my wish will be granted?_

The swirl of disconnected thoughts gathered together in her mind, and suddenly she realized. "The jewel doesn't grant your real wish," she cried out, her tears hitching her voice. Her grandfather's legend came back to her – _'when the last person to hold the Shikon no Tama makes the right wish, it will be purified and disappear from this world'_ – and her stomach knotted with dread.

_I know what the right wish is now, but I'm afraid. If I say it, what will happen to me? _She didn't have to choose which world she wanted to return to, or where she felt the most comfortable. If she said those words out loud, would she be hurtled back to her fifteenth birthday, as if she hadn't lived through the events of the last year? Would she be robbed of her memories of Inuyasha and her friends, which she so cherished? She had glimpsed her life without her adventures through the well, and had experienced that feeling of displacement, of missing something vitally important to her very core. Would that be her fate? Would she live to regret this choice?

_Oh, God, if only Inuyasha was here, _she thought desperately._ I need his strength now, more than ever._

She dragged in one last breath, her heart beating rapidly. She opened her eyes and opened her mouth, but the sound she heard was not her own voice.

"Kagome! Can you hear me?! _Kagome_!"

_No, it can't be_, she thought wildly, looking around in desperation.

"Inuyasha, where are you?" she called. A spark of hope ignited in her heart, a small flicker of light under the leaden weight of despair.

"Kagome!"

Her name echoed through the darkness, drawing her eyes back to the jewel. "No," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. "No!" Any anticipation of rescue was thoroughly crushed.

_I can't wish on the jewel if he's trapped inside! _A fresh wave of tears rolled down her face at the very idea. Finally, the breaking point had been reached. She wanted to scream, to release every volatile emotion currently railroading her mind, chasing away her sanity. It took every fiber of her being to keep herself together. She couldn't lose it now, not when Inuyasha was so close.

_He's always come for me,_ she thought resolutely. _He's always protected me. If it's the last thing I can do in this world, I will protect him._

"Do you wish to be with him?" The voice of the jewel rattled in her head, ringing in her ears, jarring renewed moisture from her eyes. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, firm in her resolve.

"Answer me, Kagome," the voice hissed.

She dug in her heels. "I'm not going to wish for _anything_," she replied, her voice soft but determined.

The jewel pulsed in response, emitting a light bright enough to force her eyes open. She watched as a path was forged from the inside, ever-widening as it came towards her. It was then that she saw him, yet she couldn't believe her eyes.

Inuyasha floated before her, looking as surprised and relieved as she felt. In one hand he held the black Tessaiga, still swirling with meidou zangetsuha. "Kagome," he said, his voice loud and clear in her ears, banishing the torment of the jewel.

She threw herself in his arms, clinging to him as if he was her anchor in a raging sea. "Inuyasha," she whispered, clutching his haori. "You're real."

She felt his arms tighten around her, the whisper of his breath against her ear as he called her name again. Relief washed through her, displacing the despair and fear that had held court within her soul. It was almost as though she was soaking up his strength by osmosis.

"Never let go," she whispered against his neck.

"Never," he vowed, squeezing her with assurance.

With deliberate movement, she lifted herself away from him, turning to face the jewel with its gaping path of light. "I'm ready to make my wish," she said, her eyes trained on the glowing orb.

_This is only right, _she thought._ My heart's desire protected Inuyasha, pulling him out of the jewel. Now it's time to finish this._

"Shikon No Tama! Disappear…forever!" The command was full of anger, spite, and frustration at having borne witness to its evil powers.

The jewel cracked into a thousand pieces, as it had before, but this time when it exploded in a blast of light, the shards went flying into the void, fading away. The force of the blast was enough to send the pair reeling backwards, thrust into bright white blankness as the entire meidou collapsed upon itself.

Kagome pressed herself against Inuyasha as they were hurtled about, her focus only on staying with him. Slowly, finally, they stopped, suspended in the air as they had been before.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, his voice gruff. She had time enough only to open her eyes before she realized he had pressed his mouth to hers, one fang gazing her lower lip as he held her close, stealing the very breath from her lungs. The moment was all too short; it was over before it completely registered in her mind. He buried his face in the hollow between her neck and her shoulder, his breath coming out in jagged gasps.

"I thought I'd lost you forever," he confessed.

She twined her fingers through his hair, another wave of tears rolling down her cheeks. "Inuyasha," she choked out. "I wanted to be with you."

She felt him nod his head. "I wanted to be with you, too," he said. "I'm glad you didn't wish for me on the jewel."

She bit her lips. "I would've killed you," she said, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

He looked at her, clasping the hand she held to her face. "You would've been sucked into the jewel, taking Midoriko's place," he informed her. "Your soul would've had to battle Naraku's for the rest of eternity."

The blood drained from her head and pooled in her abdomen as she contemplated such a fate. Inuyasha watched her reaction carefully, seeds of a decision forming in his mind. When she once again clutched at him desperately, he knew what he had to do.

"I want to be with you, Kagome," he said again, his breath warm on her ear. "I want to be by your side…when you're ready."

Kagome furrowed her brow in confusion even as she crossed her arms behind his neck. She had no time to question him, however; he bent his knees deeply and pushed off, sending them once again soaring through the great white blankness.

.xxxxx.

It had taken a long time, but eventually, she recovered. Inuyasha returned her to her family, disappearing back through the well after depositing her in her mother's arms. The emotional strain of the final battle and the ensuing period in the meidou – three days, she later discovered – had put her in a very small, closed space in her own mind. The romantic gild of her soul had been crushed as well, and it wasn't until a chance encounter with Hojo during her second year of high school that she thought back to her first kiss.

She held her memories of the Feudal Era close to her heart, but after that non-starter of a date with Hojo, an awkward peck on the lips drawing it to an end, the full force of her emotions poured forth once again. She fought hard to preserve the memory of the jewel's combustion, and her fabled first kiss, but found nothing more than fleeting wisps of touch and taste. It saddened her, and yet, she was happy all at the same time. It had happened with the one she desired most of all, and it was an expression of emotions he usually kept bottled inside. Truly, such factors were more important than logistics.

_I belong with Inuyasha_, she thought.

The decision put her at ease once again, a foundation on which she rebuilt her emotional sanity. Secure in the knowledge that her heart was at peace, the rest of her soul lifted. Her confidence skyrocketed. Her marks climbed higher and higher on the grading scale, and she graduated at the top of her class with her pick of university programs. She joined the tennis club with Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, leading the team to a regional championship during their senior spring season. She found the grace to let Hojo down easily, insisting they stay on friendly terms.

Inuyasha was never far from her mind. She'd tried the well a few times, in moments of urgency and desperation, but it would not let her pass. She came to realize it was her fear that was holding her back. Fear of leaving her family behind. Fear that he hadn't waited for her. Fear that something had happened in history during her absence – that there was _no one_ left from her small band of friends.

_Which will win?_ she asked herself as she studied the well one somber fall afternoon. _My fear, or my love?_

She touched the ledge of the well reverently, running her hand across the smooth planes. _My place is with Inuyasha_, she thought.

"Kagome?" Footsteps descended the stairs of the well house, and Kagome felt her mother's arm slide across her shoulders.

Kagome closed her eyes as her breath welled in her chest. Was she ready to leave this warm parental embrace?

"What's wrong, dear?" her mother asked, casting a concerned look at her daughter.

"Mama, I'm ready," Kagome replied. _I'm ready to find Inuyasha again._

Their attention was drawn to the well, which rumbled with new force under Kagome's touch. Their eyes widened as a patch of blue sky yawned before them, the gentle scent of wild flowers drifting up.

"Kagome…" Her mother's voice trailed off as she wrapped both arms around her daughter. "I'm going to miss you."

"I love you, Mama," Kagome whispered, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek. "Thank you. For everything."

Her mother sniffled as she pulled away. "Have fun and be careful," she said, helping her daughter climb into the well.

Kagome laughed at the words, the familiar parting from her adventures three years previous. She smiled as she let go, sending a sad wave to her mother until she was out of sight.

She didn't have time to think; as soon as the modern well disappeared from view, another hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. Her grin returned twofold and her heartbeat began to race as she soared out of the ancient well and into the air. She landed softly on the ground, one hand clasped in his, drawn close to his chest.

"Kagome," Inuyasha breathed, as if he scarcely believed she was actually there.

"I'm sorry," she apologized immediately. "I didn't mean to make you wait."

He let out a short breath. "Idiot," he returned, his voice rough with unshed tears.

She smiled, bringing her free hand to his head, tweaking his ear gently before twining her fingers in the strands of his hair. He shuddered at her touch, closing his golden eyes, gripping her hand tightly in his own. She leaned forward, slanting her head slightly to the side, and pressed her lips to his, swallowing his gasp of surprise. His other arm slipped around her waist, bringing her closer still, their joined hands resting between their hearts.

It was her perfect kiss, and she would keep it in her memory and her heart, to treasure.

Forever.


End file.
